Kai walks over to the table, stomping as she walks, clearly pissed she is going to lose the first game without a chance at winning. She puts her hand on the table. “Let’s go,” she says to me.
I walk over and put my elbow on the table. And then I wait for our hands to connect.
She holds her hand in
the air just over mine, excited and terrified of what will happen when we touch. Fucking in the alleyway was supposed to be our goodbye, but it won’t be—this twisted game will be.
Our eyes lock, and I wait for her to move the final millimeter. After Milo touched her without her permission, I don’t dare force my touch on her now, even though I know she would welcome it. She needs to feel some bit of control.
She wraps her hand around mine, and it’s like a shot right to my balls. The tingling from our touch always shocks me. No single touch should feel this fucking incredible.
I suck in a breath relishing this feeling. How her tiny hand feels in my large one.
Milo walks over to the table standing between us. Will there always be someone between us? If we ever figure out how to kill him and take down his entire empire and allies, will there always be something between us?
“Three…two…one…go,” Milo says.
I tighten my grip on Kai’s hand, feeling her much weaker hand push against mine. But we both know her thin muscles have nothing compared to my bulky bicep. I could win this in two seconds. But I don’t want to. I want to feel her hand in mine for as long as possible.
Milo laughs. “Maybe you aren’t as strong as I thought, Enzo.”
I don’t let him taunt me.
Kai looks at me with large puppy dog eyes, begging me to let her win. I would. I want to put Milo in his place and let him know Kai is plenty strong. Sure, her muscles are smaller than mine, but her heart is more than strong enough to make up for any lack in muscle size. And the games for Black aren’t like this game. Physical strength isn’t the most important factor.
I want to give in to Kai. I always want to give in to her. I want to give her the world. But I can’t let her win this. I don’t know what other twisted game Milo has in mind, but I need to win this as fast as possible. Milo will not get Kai.
So I suck in a breath, warning her with my gaze, and then I push her hand down onto the table.
Milo chuckles again. “I guess I was right. Enzo is the true heir. But let’s play another game to be sure.”
Kai swallows hard as she stares at me, still gripping my hand. Pleading with me to not do this. To let her win. She loves me; she should be the one that sacrifices herself.
I can’t.
I can’t lose you. I love you too. I just can’t tell you that.
“What’s the next game?” Kai asks.
Milo pretends to think as a waitress comes up and brings him a drink so he can more thoroughly enjoy watching us fight like gladiators to be taken and eventually killed by a man we both hate.
“Speed. Touch the wall ten times and back. The first one to finish wins,” Milo answers.
Again, not a fair fight and he knows it. But I don’t care. I just want this over. Rip the bandaid off and force me away from Kai. Because the longer this drags on, the harder it is for both of us.
We both walk to the far wall and touch it with our hand.
“Go,” Milo says.
We start running with everything we have. Kai is fast, but I’m faster.
Ten turns we run, and I’m thankful this game is something that involves my lungs burning. Running always gives me time to clear my head, and this time is no different. I take the last turn and head to the final wall, with Kai far behind.
I touch the wall easily, breathing heavily. Kai stops in her tracks, panting quickly herself as she grips her knees. She gave everything she had to the game, but it wasn’t enough.
Our eyes meet again, and I see the pain and desperation there. Two wins down, one more and it’s over. One more and I win.
“What’s the final game?” I pant.